Chicago Smash Cake Session - One Year Old Lumberjack!

The pandemic isn’t stopping Mr. Jack from turning one and he is here for his smash cake! I had so much fun with Jack while he smashed, played with, and gobbled his cake. We took a few photos of just him in his little lumberjack shirt before he switched to the lumberjack diaper cover overalls & bowtie. Have you seen anything cuter?!? He took this cake-eating business extremely serious, using all appendages to grab cake when his hands were already full and putting his face right in his cake!

And can we talk about that cake! SO beautiful. It’s from Toni’s Patisserie in Hinsdale and it was so pretty. It looked just like a birch tree for this perfect little lumberjack and the way he devoured it, I’d say it tasted amazing as well! The very last photo here shows him trying to share with me - I politely declined, obviously! But he sure is sweet!

Pro tip: Chocolate Cake Is Great For Smash Cakes!

Chocolate cake, or darker cakes or even dark frosting, tend to show up well in photos if you’re really looking for that “messy” smash cake look.

I photographed Jack’s Fresh 48 session last year and he was not happy I was there! His in-home newborn photos were a breeze and I’ve photographed him & his sister a few times this year for their family’s milestones. This smash cake birthday session was full of smiles and curiosity! I so enjoy this guy, and his whole family and am so so grateful.

Fresh 48 Newborn Session at Prentice Women's Hospital - Northwestern {Chicago, IL}

It’s been almost exactly one year since I set foot into a hospital for a Fresh 48 newborn session and it was so good to be back. My friend Lauren had her pandemic baby at Prentice Women’s Hospital here in Chicago on one of the coldest days of the year so far and I was honored to be her one and only guest, aside from her husband!

What’s a Fresh 48 session?

A photo session that takes place within 2 days of baby being born (3 if it’s a c-section baby), usually wherever baby was born. (I’ve only ever done them in hospitals but in a post-covid world I’m dying to photograph a home birth!) Oftentimes I’ll photograph a Fresh 48 and then do an in-home session a few weeks later & it’s fascinating to see how much baby changes in just a few short weeks! After graduating with my photography degree, back when I lived in Madison, I worked as a newborn photographer for a few years at Meriter Hospital, with Susan of Serendipity Photo Studio, and my dear friend Jamie. It’s where I fell in love with Fresh 48 sessions, even though I’m not sure they were actually called that back in the day!

World, meet Miss Emory! This little peach arrived at almost 10 pounds!! I’m so obsessed with her cheeeeeeeeeks! Congrats, H family! Thank you for having me :)

I love photographing at Prentice because of those city views! My only dilemma was that winter is wreaking havoc on the windows there and the spots & splotches drive me crazy when they’re on full display with the sunshine. But, I felt safe inside and all of the protocols were in place. I wore two masks while photographing this sweet baby & sanitized, sanitized, sanitized.

Help Alive Rescue AND Name a Rescue Pup? TWELVE Rescue Puppies {Chicago, IL}

I'm back - with the most adorable group I've ever photographed in over 10 years! I photographed TWELVE one-week-new puppies and their sweet mama, Mamba, for Alive Rescue recently and I no longer have a heart because these puppies & Mamba stole it.

I must be getting old because all I could think about, aside from how damn cute they are, is.... how on earth do they get any sleep like this when they're all squirming around, piled on top of one another, and making constant puppy squeals! However.... it made me super envious that they all got to be this close without a care in the world. #imisshugs

I fell in love with all of these pups and I love working with Alive, my favorite animal rescue in Chicago. They're going to need help with all of these pups - you can help if you’d like! You can name one of Mamba's puppies! Head to the link below to find more info.

In the meantime, just look at their sweet faces & let them hypnotize you with love. No one has ever been harmed just from looking at the sweet faces of teeny tiny rescue puppies… ;)